Nintendo DS Wi-fi function is great and it is so much fun to play games in multiplayer mode online. However, many non techy DS gamers are oftentimes facing problems. They cannot get the Wi-fi connection to work.

Setup Wifi Ds Connection for the first time

There are some basic things you should know: The Nintendo DS can connect to the following type of access points:

(a) Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector (sold separately)

(b) AOSS Compatible device

(c) Any access point available (Such as a Wireless Router or a Hotspot)

How To Setup Wi-Fi On DS

If you are using Wi-Fi USB Connector, select the blue bar “Connect to your Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector”. And the Nintendo DS will provide you with the Instructions. If you are still experiencing problems, read on:

Wi-Fi USB Connector Problems
Make sure the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector has installed correctly. The installation CD must be run from an account that has Admin privileges. On Microsoft Vista, this may mean right-clicking the CD and manually selecting “Run as Administrator”. If you suspect your connector may have installed improperly, uninstall and reinstall the Connector. Delete the Connector in Windows’ Device Manager list, run the “DEVREMOV” program on the installation CD, and remove all Nintendo Wi-Fi software in the Add/Remove Programs menu. Remove the installation CD and turn your computer off before removing the Connector. You can now try a fresh installation.

Wireless Router, AOSS Compatible Router or in a Hotspot with Wireless signal

If you are using a Wireless Router, AOSS Compatible Router or in a Hotspot with Wireless signal choose one of the Empty Connections.  It will redirect you to the setup menu.

Search for an Access Point:  Automatically search for any compatible wireless signal available. (Recommended option)

AOSS compatible router: If you’re using an AOSS device, choose this option.  The Nintendo DS will provide you with the Instructions on how to setup your connection. The next steps in this guide are for regular Wireless Routers or Hotspots, and are not required for your setup.

Manual Setup: If you’re knowledgeable about the settings of your wireless signal, Choose “Manual Setup” to manually set the IP Address, Subnet Masket, Gateway, and the Primary DNS. This is the final step for Manual Setup, the next steps are not required.

Now you should be able to see your wireless network (or perhaps more than one). The easiest to work with is an open network, which is indicated as a blue padlock that’s open. There are also red padlocks (if your system uses WEP protection) and grey padlocks (which are bad news: the Nintendo DS can’t work with the security system on that particular unit, probably WPA security).

If you have an open network, just click “OK” and it should work just fine! If it’s a red padlock, it’ll prompt you for a password: you’ll need to know the password of the wireless access point you’re using to get past that. If it’s grey, well, try finding an open network somewhere else you can use. If the wireless signal is Password Protected, It will ask you for the SSID. The SSID can be found in the Control Panel of your router, or refer to the manual of your router.

And something else that is important: It is Recommended to keep all the settings to “Auto-obtain”.

In case you are still experiencing problems setting up Wi-fi for DS it is time for troubleshooting:

You will have to find out  at what point your connection is failing.

* Have you tried to connect to your wireless router’s access point yet?
* Have you run a connection test with your Nintendo DS and received a “Connection Successful” message?

* No – If you have not received this message yet, then it appears you have not been able to successfully connect to your wireless router’s access point.
* Yes – If you have successfully run the “Test Connection” process, but are having difficulties playing online, please read the information below :

Unable to connect, or stay connected, to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
If you are unable to connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection after successfully connecting to your access point (this includes error messages in the 50000-59999 range) our experience shows that problems encountered at this point are likely caused by your wireless router’s built-in firewall protection. Firewalls regulate traffic coming into, and going out from, your home network. They also control which “ports” on your networked devices are allowed to send and receive traffic. These factors can interfere with a successful or sustained connection with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Please click here to read more about firewalls, as well as possible solutions.

Unable to connect with other players:
Make sure you are correctly attempting to connect with other players. If you are able to connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, but are still unable to connect with other players (including receiving error messages in the 80000-89999 range), experience shows that problems encountered at this point are likely caused by a firewall. Firewalls regulate traffic coming into, and going out from, your home network. They also control which “ports” on your networked devices are allowed to send and receive traffic, and they can interfere with certain types of data packets necessary for “Friend” play. The firewall compatibility problem may be occuring on your end, or on the player(s) you are attempting to connect to.
If your firewall is causing the trouble make sure ports 28910, 29900, 29901, 29920, 80, and 443 have all TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) traffic enabled. All UDP (User Datagram Protocol) traffic must be allowed for Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector to work. (You can run Windows’ Network Test Tool to check whether UDP is functioning correctly.)

Once your Wi-Fi connection is up and running it is time to download some really cool DS multiplayer games. I hihgly recommend joining a Nintendo DS membership site which will give you access to unlimited Nintendo DS games downloads. You definitely should read my Pocketdownload Center Review, which is in my eyes the best Nintendo DS downloads sites.You may download as many DS games as you can handle for the rest of your life for one low onetime fee. If you do not want to read my review you can go there directly by clicking here. By the way… you may come across website’s offering free ds downloads… be careful… you can find the full story at  Free DS Downloads. (You should not miss reading my article on free ds downloads! I am sure you will be glad you did)

Set Up Wifi On DS Video

In case you are still “lost”, I have added a tutorial video below on how to set up Wi-Fi on DS step by step:

  

R4 DS

So just what is this R4 DS Card?  It is kind of  a micro sd card adapter.  It will let you use micro SD cards in your Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi console in order to store and load your games, apps, movies, music and you will also be able to store ebooks on it. R4DS is short for Revolution for DS that is in the shape of a Nintendo DS game.Due to the fact that the r4 ds card uses low cost micro sd cards to store and load files, in place of built in flash memory, users have access to an enormous amounts of storage in the form of these inexpensive flash cards. If you an avid Ds gamer the R4DS is a must have peripheral.

Use Of R4 DS:

You might wonder what kinds of games you can actually play on your Nintendo DS with the R4 DS.  Well, there are almost no limites. All the homebrew roms and applications that are out there are 100% compatible with the r4.  There are entire communities of amateur / homebrew developers and programmers creating and releasing games and applications for the Nintendo DS and DSi that will work on the r4 DS Cards. You can read detailed review of my favorite DS download sites that will work perfectly with R4 DS at Download DS Games. It is also a good idea to read my article on the dangers that com with free ds downloads.

R4 DS Cards come in three different versions:

R4, for both Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite; and
R4I, for Nintendo DSI Lite.
R4 DS SDHC , which allows you to store even more data on your DS / DS lite console , up to 32GB in fact !

Contents Of R4 DS Card Sets

When you purchase an R4DS, in the box there will be a CD containing software to use on your PC with the R4DS.  You will also find a USB connecting device to allow connection of the card directly to your computer.

Connecting R4 DS

Connecting is easy. Just plug your R4DS into the connecting device, plug the device into your computer, and place the disc into your disc tray. Follow the installation wizard. Once installed, open the program.

Saving The Firmware Files For the R4DS:

Saving and loading files to the R4DS card is fast and easy. You should copy all files in the zip folder you just downloaded to the root of your SD card.
In case there are folders, be advised that these need to be copied over as well. Ok, once you are done with this step you should go ahead and put some games, Mp3 files, or even ebooks you’d like to read onto the micro SD card. In this way you can test everything out as soon as you plug your R4DS card into your DS.

Well, if you are done copying files to your micro SD card, take your card out from your USB reader and plug it into the R4DS Card.

Now turn the power on your Nintendo DS on. The screen will come up. Depending on how you have your DS set up, it may automatically show Loading on your screen for 1-2 seconds and then bring up the R4DS Card menu. If “loading” is not displayed on your Nintendo DS Screen, then you may not have put all of the firmware files on your microSD card. If this is the case, go right back to step one, and start all over again. There is no need ot worry…. just make sure you follow the steps outlined above carefully.

If the R4DS car menu is shown correctly, congratulations! All you have to do now is go and explore the thousands of free homebrew games and applications out there – You migh twant to head over to my favorite DS download sites and download some games: PocketDownloadCenter and Unlimited DS Downloads

Buy R4 DS

There are numerous websites online where you can buy R4 DS cards. The downside is that there are many sites that sell fake or clone cards, because they are sold at very low prices, but are not really the R4 DS Card. Yes, you can get them cheaply, but it is a fact that in the case of the R4DS, you get what you pay for.  Since the card has become as popular as it has, many companies have made their own “r4ds” versions. These ar enot the original R4 DS cards and the biggest problems is compatibility.  About 40% of the games and applications out there won’t work on these fake R4Ds cards, which means you will be in possession of a card that will work – but not quite how it should.

R4 DS Beginners Video Tutorial